Reviews by Flounder57:

Appearance: This beer poured a one finger off white head that reduced to a thin layer. It is a crimson color with good clarity and vision of slow moving bubbles coming up through the glass. Spotty lacing on the glass as the beer was drank.

One of the best doppelbocks in the world. Molasses and nice dark bread define this beer. A beautiful fruity finish. One of the best lagers in the world and also the best beers in this world. (190 characters)

One of the first bocks I ever had,poured a nice rich brown color with foamy head.Smell was very sweet and alcoholic,taste was buttery and caramelly and creamy.Since trying more doppelbock's I noticed this was a little thin in the mouthfeel dept. but still a really well made doppelbock. (286 characters)

Appearance  This came out a dark brown in color with a beautiful, gorgeous head. The off-white head on that almost-black body in the football-style German glass was absolutely gorgeous.

Smell  The burnt molasses and dark lagered grain worked well together, although the overall aroma was dull even as the bier warmed.

Taste  The molasses was super-strong just as I like it. The grain was expertly lagered and very dark. The luscious sweets were sharp but not attention-grabbing. All together this was damn near perfect.

Mouthfeel  This was just shy of medium-bodied and not bitter but still had a sharp, strapping molasses bite.

Drinkability  I had this with a brat and bread at Prost in Seattle with my good friend skyhand and boy did it remind me of the Fatherland. (789 characters)

The double shovel means double trouble with Spaten's most dangerous beer. I can think of no better way to optimize my evening then with Z Optimator.

The Arnold Schwarzinager of beers, Z Optimator's strength is immediately apparant, both disgusting and delighting with its erste taste. Sometimes difficult to consume at first, as if your body is warning against its mighty conents, Z Optimator becomes smoother and more pleasing with each sip.

I can not recomend this beer enough to those who love strong and beefy beers that carry a bazooka for a buzz. I truely believe that there is something more to this beer then its high alcohol content. Consumers beware, this beer can lead to strange and unexplainable occuances and should be taken in cautiously.

I suggest splitting a 24 ounze bottle to begin an evening. Any thing more and you could be diving into a lake, half nude, in search of a cell phone that you thought fell out of your pocket. But oh wait...I don't even own a cellphone?

It wasn't one of my finer moments but how can the Univesity of Wisconsin sell such large pitchers for such a low price and not expect trouble? (1,142 characters)

I was making an Irish recipe that called for Guinness and being the rebel that I am I decided to try a different beer. I heard that Dopplebocks are strong beers so I figured it would be a good choice (this is my first Dopplebock). This beer got good reviews and it was cheap at my local store so I purchased it for the recipe.

I was a bit shocked to find out that this beer is not strong in flavor but it is in alcohol. I was actually REALLY surprised how smooth it was. I was disappointed for the recipe that I was creating because I was looking for something with a strong flavor. But as a drinkable beer (that's what you are supposed to do, am I right!?) this is a VERY smooth and a tasty beer. I know I will sound like a heathen but this reminds me of an American lager. Although I'd rather drink this if it was handed to me compared to most popular run of the mill lagers. I'm not wowed by this beer but it is very enjoyable and refreshing. It was very cheap at my local store too. It's a good bargain beer.

Now I'm confused what a Dopplebock is supposed to be like since this came straight from Germany. Now my impression of Dopplebocks are that they aren't that strong in flavor but they are in alcohol content. This is the country that made the Dopplebock. I guess I'll have to try more to find out if this is a fluke. (1,328 characters)

A: strong body thats black in the room, but not quite opaque. ruby edges reveal
a deep hue when held up to light. creamy head leaves a splochy glass.

S: plums, molasses, nuts, maple, sweet malt, alcohol

T: creamy body is oily slick and quickly coats mouth with a sweet malt flash that gives way to a softer chewier malted milkball quality. vanilla comes through, dark fruit, some maple from the nose, red grapes, chocolate. finishes with a touch of bitter, lingering sugar, and as the beer warms, a barely tart spice.

M: a bit light, and not as chewy as I would like for the style but otherwise nice.

D: I have been impressed by this beer and could enjoy it often, though considering better examples of the style are easy to find, dont know how often I will. (773 characters)

Very dark brown, nearly black, with a very thin medium brown foam cap of only 1/4 inch or so. Relatively low head retention as the cap shifts to sporadic bubbles leaving little lacing.

Smell is quite sweet - you can almost close your eyes and imagine that you are smelling a glass of liquid malt extract. There's a bit of chocolate goodness on the nose too as part of the malt montage.

Fiercely malty but interestingly not cloyingly sweet. There is plenty of malt sweetness there but you can also pick out some minor bittering trying to take hold. The malt is definitely the star of the show and is prominent by leaps and bounds but somehow it still leaves room for some subtle nuances. I can only fathom a guess at the number of malts it took to produce this but it was quite good as dopple bocks go. The finish was, again, more malt but it didn't linger as long as you might think.

Carbonation was relatively light in this, almost like it struggled to make it through the malts. However this also seemed to add some character to it that makes it a bit different. I'm not a huge fan of dopple bock but I did enjoy this brew and would probably drink it again. It just kept pulling me back in for another taste. Nice. (1,268 characters)

Appearance: Rich deep dark copper with a light tan head that dissipates to a sticky lace.

Smell: Hints of caramel, sweet and toasted malt. Some spicy alcohol fumes and a trace of apple peel aroma.

Taste: Thick and huge stodgy malt, caramel, rounded toasted malt, sweet dextrins and grain lets through a twang of alcohol and a thin leafy hop. A remaining dextrinous toasted malt, a ever so fading hop leaf and drying grain are in the end.

Notes: Ahhh ... a meal in a bottle. Breakfast anyone? If beer is measured by its malt back bone than this is a body builder beer. 7.2 abv with a 12 month self life. (690 characters)

Now this is some good shit! I have heard a lot about this beer and other Doppelbocks but since I'm such a hop-head, I usualy pass them up when it comes time to go to the store. I will pass them no more. This poured a great brownish color with great head that settled on top till the last drop. The smell was filled with toffee and carmel. The flavor was out of this world with a great carmel taste and just a touch of hops in the end to round it all out. For an import macro, this is about as good as it gets. (509 characters)

Had this at a little German restaurant in my home town of Brunswick. Served in a stange, it was a reddish/brown color with a thick white head that left a little bit of lacing. Aroma was caramel and raisins. Taste also caramel and raisin, but also a hint of chocolate. Perhaps a bit on the thin side. I think there could be more of a malt presence. Still, I enjoyed this beer, and will drink it again. (400 characters)

Pours a nice brown beer with a thick, clinging off-white cream/foam lace. Malty/herbal aroma. Surprisingly light-ish, but also malty sweet and milky with buttery caramel, day old coffee and bitter dark chocolate malt flavours. Faint roasted flavours. Toasty notes all over. Raisin flavours become pronounced as the beer warms. Notes of metallic around the edges. Sharp carbonation on the tongue followed by a light herbal hop presence that blends nicely with a not so subtle alcohol spicy character. Hops leave a slightly leafy and oily slick feel on the palate, peaking at the finish, which is dry.

A good doppelbock, but not a great one (it's an imported macro brew at heart). Still well worth the try ... (710 characters)